Cook County information chief wins national award

Cook County Chief Information Officer Simona Rollinson was named Nonprofit/Government Chief Information Officer of the Year on Wednesday at the annual ORBIE Awards held in partnership with the CIO Leadership Association.

The award honors chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership.

"Simona has led Cook County through several key modernizations that increased efficiencies and improved services for residents," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in an announcement of the award.

Some key transformations led by Rollinson include: employees countywide now clock in daily using biometric timeclocks instead of the antiquated practice of using paper timesheets; residents can quickly locate county services on the county's updated website; county property owners can file appeals with the board of review online; and county residents and businesses can pay many of their taxes through a secure unified online portal.